Breakaway devices are well known in the prior art for preventing damage to high value objects. Such devices are usually designed so that when the forces on the object reach sufficient levels, the device “breaks” and high value object falls away from the larger system. If the breakaway force is designed to be less than the strength of the high value object materials, damage to the high value object is prevented.
The breakaway devices in the known art that could act in a similar manner to prevent damage to high value objects, however, have limitations and disadvantages. Specifically, there are several designs that exist which have relatively defined, uniform breaking strengths, such as breakaway bolts, shear pins, and the like. However, detachment systems using these components have the disadvantage of needing to be replaced after “breaking”.
Other types of temporary mounting devices could be considered to perform the same task, such as hook and loop fabric, re-adhering adhesive, or tab and slot rubber mounting devices. But these systems typically do not offer as much angular stability or provide sufficient stability for heavy duty applications. In the case of adhesives and rubber mountings, these systems could not be used for underwater environments and similar types of applications. Still other breakaway systems can include a, spring loaded or hinged base, which could bend out of the way at a predetermined force, which would again be less than the material strength of the high value object. But a system of this type may not be as compact as the user might desire. Still another variation could be to use an electromagnet or have an electro mechanical pin that retracts to provide the release. But these types of systems have the disadvantage of complexity and the requirement of a power source to selectively activate the electromagnetic pin.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a detachable, reusable mounting device that is reusable, resettable, stable and compact. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable, reusable mounting device that does not require replacement of parts after operation of the device. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable, reusable mounting device allows for angular force stability in heavy duty applications. Another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable, reusable mounting device that is stable and reliable in an underwater environment. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a detachable, reusable mounting device that is simple, reliable and inexpensive to implement.